I wonder if it is more of a “prestige” factor than a $$ maker. Certainly interesting how so many really respected MT programs are at schools that are not especially “competitive” in other areas - maybe those colleges have chosen arts as their area of investment
I have to agree with those who have said its not an immediate money maker. If that is so, then why all the new programs popping up??
My theory is that these smaller schools are realizing they are losing great prospective students to other smaller schools with MT programs. There have always been music programs and theatre programs at these schools, but the administration is finding that the market has changed and students (and parents) want a combination degree. Schools will only create the programs which are beneficial to them in some way. It may not be strictly financial, but there has to be a motive.
Many MT programs are directly funded (or at least received substantial start-up funding) from specific, individual donations, i.e., the Weitzenhoffer School of Musical Theatre at the University of Oklahoma, the recent contribution from the Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley Musical Theatre Fund to establish an MT program at Boston U, etc. Hence, some of the programs that you see popping up over the last few years are a result of targeted fund-raising at the high-net-wealth individual level by schools. In some cases, the dean of fine arts, the university president, etc. have been convinced that this is an area of need for the school (prestige is certainly a factor) and funds are appropriated from the general giving fund. Certainly the argument can be made that the majority of employment and actor income in the world of live theatre is in MT and schools that wish to tout the success of their theatre grads might be well-served to have an MT program.
The last thing I would ever want to do is to disagree with @EmsDad on statistics- because he is a guru in that area. But I am not sure that I agree with the notion that the majority of jobs for a performer are in a musical theater over the course of their career. Musical certainly have a larger cast, and ensemble rolls etc are certainly geared towards younger people, which would indicate they would work for recent BFA grads. But outside of major market like New York, Chicago, etc. aren’t there more repertory company’s that use straight theater as the bulk of their season? I thought I remembered reading that there are more versions of Shakespeare’s plays performed every year then all other offers including those of musical theater combined. And of course any number of colleges have offered degrees in theater and acting far longer than they have in musical theater. There have been schools of drama around for the last century, but degrees in musical theater have only been offered for the last few decades. Wasn’t there a Thread on the glee a fact that addressed this issue at some point in the past?
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@toowonderful: here is how I would justify my claim about MT employment vs. straight plays:
- If you look at the Actors Equity numbers, almost 70% of the work is the Eastern Region, which is mostly NYC, which is mostly Broadway (in dollar terms).
- If you look at the grosses for Broadway the vast majority of money is coming from musicals, not straight plays.
- Most regional theatre is non-profit, and if you pull the 990's for the large regional theatre companies, you will see relatively low revenue levels vs. Broadway, and, hence, likely relatively low levels of employment and income for actors vs. Broadway.
- If you look at National Tours, more than 90 percent are musicals.
- Heck, almost 10% of Equity work is at Disney World, and I think that most of that is MT (*Beauty and the Beast, Finding Nemo - the Musical, Festival of the Lion King, Dream Along with Mickey, Magic Kingdom Welcome Show, * etc.).
Therefore, I would suggest that the majority of employment and actor income for live theatre is in musicals. There may be lots of roles in various regional and off-Broadway performances of straight plays (although plays tend to have very small casts vs. musicals), but very limited income vs. MT.
As Hal Holbrook’s character, “Deep Throat,” says in All the President’s Men, “follow the money.”
And you prove my point about NOT wanting to argue statistics with you @EmsDad 
But I can’t help but wonder - does that hold up over the career of a performer? Granted, my D is in an acting program (though she still does musicals as well) but at Adler they tell students that being proficient in the classics (particularly Shakespeare) is seriously beneficial to employability. I suppose much like being a great dancer in MT
@toowonderful - I think that MT only holds more opportunity vs. straight acting for the live stage. In terms of earnings, live stage is only something like 15% of overall income paid to actors. The majority of income comes from commercials (36%), film (26%), and television (24%).
Oh I know the $$ isn’t in live theater. But I still have to wonder- Where are you more likely to be cast for live performance at 20, or 30, or 40, or 50? Not necessarily MT
I actually agree with the adage of tour once you get in for detailed looks into the programs.That being said, my son did see a few schools during a spring break of his junior year to get a sense of programs.We were fortunate in that we knew a fair amount of kids who were at various schools so that helped in seeing the programs.Biggest take away from the junior tour was that some top tier programs my son was convinced he would love and would be in his top tier list to apply got knocked off the list… mainly due to attitude he felt from other MT students on campus and their response to him… In some cases, it was also the faculty’s response to him. He did his homework prior to his spring tour and did contact many of the directors of the MT programs of the places he wanted to visit. He asked for personal time and a Q and A from the directors. Most , even at top tier, gave him the time to talk about program and answered pretty specific questions. One program in particular, very top tier, was rude, isolative, not only the dept but also the students. Changed my son’s opinion so much he never did apply there. So, there are pros and cons. I’d also not get too into watching the productions as an indicator of program. Best to sit in on classes of programs you end up being accepted at… and ask for the juniors and senior classes, not freshman if you can. Very telling as to calibre of program and fit for your student… or not.
Redheadlady
Thank you for some great advice on visiting programs. The suggestion to try and visit upper level classes is an excellent one. I would not have focused on that.
@mom2MTgal @sbc I second the motion of contacting the department head and asking about sitting in on classes. We did a “preview day” at a university on Saturday last weekend. I emailed the admissions office asking if MT students would be involved and was assured they would. It wasn’t until near the end of the day that we discovered they were all at an intensive. Thankfully the director of the Theater department was able to speak to us and show us the facilities. The musical theater department is actually in the music department of the school and other than the dean and admissions coordinator for the entire music school, there wasn’t a MT person to be found on campus. Thankfully for our second visit on Monday of the following we I had informally emailed the department director and she warmly invited us to sit in on a class, a 2 hour MT performance class that was fantastic! It was exactly what my D needed to say, YES this is what I want to do. Now, she has been cautioned not to fall in love with the school. Not sure I can prevent that. It was extremely gratifying to have her invited to do warm ups with the other students, see how the professors interact and instruct and watch her not be intimidated by the critique and on the spot performance demand of the students. She left invigorated and ready to focus on the next year of insanity we are about to start. If your student can miss a day of high school do it (luckily it was President’s day and my D was out for the day).
For those of you that have done college visits as a junior, did any of you do any of your material at any point or did you just observe? Are you supposed to take something along in case? D has her first visit this month and is observing a class and then meeting with the program director and seeing their show that night. We are assuming she just hangs out and watches but don’t want to be caught off-guard if someone asks to see something. Thanks!
Several schools will let you have a short voice lesson with a member of faculty. This is a really good way to make a personal connection and maybe get remembered when it’s time to audition. I recommend either calling the office or reading the bios of voice teachers, then emailing directly. When you visit, it can’t hurt to bring a resume, headshot, song and monologue, just in case. At the very least, you might get some helpful feedback.Good luck!
We were never asked for any material during college visits sophomore or junior year.
Same here, @kategrizz. There is a downside to showing them things so early…your child will likely train/mature the last two years of HS. I wouldn’t want to show them anything that wasn’t stellar…wait. Those early visits are for the kids to check out the schools, not for the schools to check out the kids.
I have never heard of being asked to show a school something on a college visit where you are there to check out the school. A voice lesson with faculty would be prescheduled in advance. Nobody is going to ask your child to show them material if you are just there to visit. We did college visits and that never happened and I don’t know of it happening to anyone else either.
As far as showing them things on the early side…I must admit that my D took some risk in applying and auditioning for BFA programs when she was chronologically two years behind in terms of age. It all worked out for her, but yes, she had less years of training under her belt.
Thanks so much everyone! I hoped that was the case but just realized if I was wrong she might be put on the spot and I didn’t want that to happen. I’m sure she’d roll with it and do something she’s worked on recently but she doesn’t have a “package” yet so we’d prefer to hold off. We’ll toss a resume and headshot in the bag in case though. I appreciate the help!
Hi everyone. I planned a college tour for my daughter during spring break. We are going to CMU, Ithaca, Syracuse. Boston conservatory, Emerson, Boston University. Her grades aren’t that great. Should I skip BU? I thought we would see it because we are there. Also, does Emerson lower the grade requirement a little for their audition programs? I know she would love it( yes we all would on this site! Haha) I know one mom said don’t show them all the top schools because then it leads to being really upset when they don’t get in. But I’m an optimist , and I figure there are a few report cards left before you apply so it could motivate! When I went on CMU it said sign up for an admission interview . Advice on this? Good idea? Any other school in Boston area instead of Bu? We live in NYC area so we will so those schools another time. Any advice anyone has is really welcome!
CMU has a theater tour as well. It was on Fridays when we went. Their theater facilities are unbelievable.
Don’t skip BU. You’re right there. I would definitely do all 3: BoCo, Emerson, and BU. And call ahead and let the schools know when you are coming…Ithaca gave us a tour when we went spring break of my D’s junior year. (They take your picture and start a file on you, so don’t be surprised!) Enjoy!